Thanksgiving shopping trips get season off to early start

While most of us spent time Thursday with family and friends, ate home-cooked meals and watched football, thousands of bargain hunters braved the cold to get a head start on Christmas shopping or treat themselves to new gadgets Thanksgiving night.

While most of us spent time Thursday with family and friends, ate home-cooked meals and watched football, thousands of bargain hunters braved the cold to get a head start on Christmas shopping or treat themselves to new gadgets Thanksgiving night.

Many spent hours, some even days, camping outside stores to be the first to snag tablets, televisions and toys. Not even freezing temperatures and bone-chilling wind could sap the eager shoppers' excitement.

"This is for our nieces and nephews," Kim Vance said hours before Best Buy in Wallkill opened. "We would do anything for them."

Once the doors opened, a steady stream of customers filled local stores and scooped up their favorite items. Despite the excitement, the crowd was rather subdued and polite as shoppers journeyed through the stores.

Many residents in the secluded hamlet of Napanoch are thankful for the opportunity to shop closer to their homes since Walmart opened in October.

Before heading to Thanksgiving dinner, several residents did some shopping at the 125,000-square-foot superstore on Route 209.

Since Ames and Grand Union went out of business several years ago, families in Napanoch, Ellenville and Wawarsing had to travel roughly 40 minutes to Kingston or Middletown to do much of their shopping. The proximity of the new Walmart allows customers to swing by and pick up needed items without taking too much time away from their families this holiday.

"It's important to have places like this nearby," Erich Deagostino said after buying a pair of jeans and two bottles of soda. "Not having regular businesses here locked the town out. It was like going back in time."

While he still does most of his grocery shopping at ShopRite, Deagostino, 36, said he buys many of his basic necessities, like motor oil and clothes at Walmart. The superstore has made the hamlet a more appealing place to live, he said.

Fencing lined the sidewalk of the store and many expensive items, like televisions, were covered in plastic wrap Thursday morning in anticipation for the Black Friday rush. Deals kicked in at 6 p.m.

Unable to attend the family dinner in New Jersey because of work, Kenn Compeau spent about three hours waiting outside Best Buy. Compeau traveled from Gardiner to buy his 10-year-old daughter Kayla something special. Drinking coffee and wearing gloves and sunglasses, Compeau struggled to stay warm but said it was worth it to make his daughter happy.

He's being an elf for Santa, Compeau said.

"She's going to be very psyched," he said.

Annie Awny of Fallsburg had her sights set on an iPad 2. Awny and her husband Ahmad Tarabichi took turns huddling in the car for warmth with their daughter, Alena.

The couple was hoping to get home earlier enough to enjoy some leftovers with the family. Awny had planned to make turkey for dinner Thursday night.

Willie Carley, 19, waited on line for nearly four hours for one thing — a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.

The strategy of the first-time Black Friday shopper was "Get in and get out as fast as possible."

Kim Vance and Phil Caruso came prepared.

Days before Thanksgiving, the Middletown couple mapped out the layout of Toys 'R' Us to quickly get gifts for their nieces and nephews. Once inside, the duo separated. Each was responsible for certain items on their sides of the store.

"(Our family) thinks we're crazy but it's for the kids," Vance said. "We like to see their faces light up when they see their gifts."

The Ferby Boom, Home Depot Master Workshop and Disney toys were the main targets as they zigzagged up and down aisles and around other customers. They waited outside Toys 'R' Us for almost four hours but were the first through the doors.

"We used to wait on line for concert tickets," Vance said with a laugh. "Now, it's because of Black Friday specials."

Amy Ducos of Middletown shopped Thanksgiving for the second time despite objections from her husband. She purchased items for her sons at Best Buy before heading to Target.

In the Town of Ulster, all that was missing was the madness.

Toys 'R' Us was first to open at the Hudson Valley Mall. Roughly 100 people were standing in line before the 5 p.m. opening.

About half an hour later, a store associate named Ed asked the folks in a long checkout line if everyone was happy.

He drew a few blank stares.

"How about happy-ish?"

Nods and tired smiles.

Steven Mattice was first in line for the 6 p.m. opening at the Ulster Best Buy. He had the pole position last year as well, the result of a 2 a.m. arrival.

"I'm surprised at how quiet it's been," he said, and the line was much shorter than last year.

The cold and quiet were worth it to him; he figured he'd save about $500 on the laptop, TV and Kindle Fire he was set to buy.

At Woodbury Common Premium Outlets Thursday evening, thousands of people raced from the Gap to Coach to UGG Australia, clutching rolling suitcases, pushing baby carriages and hauling giant shopping bags.

Many of these people are die-hard shoppers who live for fashion trends and deals. Anton Dwi of Queens might be the most hardcore. He was the first in line at the Gucci outlet, arriving at about 4:20 p.m.

"My wife is shopping," he said around 6 p.m. "I'm waiting on line."

Jessie Ward of Toronto lined up about 10 minutes after Dwi, and sat in a folding chair, waiting to rush the store for purses and Christmas presents. The shop opened at 9 p.m.

About half of Woodbury Common's 220 stores opened at 6 p.m. this year, the earliest ever.

Despite the buzz around the early Thanksgiving opening, and lines in front of stores like the North Face and UGG, the outlet center wasn't mobbed.

Grace Chen of Kent, Ohio, waited an hour for UGG Australia to open. She was looking to buy the retailer's famous sheepskin slippers and boots, and planned to shop at Longchamp and Burberry next. She expected to spend about $1, 000, mostly on credit.